There’s no denying that American WTA superstars like Venus Williams and Serena Williams have kept their country’s flag at the top of the sport for many seasons. However, on the men’s side, things are not the same, as there has been a two-decade-long Grand Slam drought. Shedding light on the same, the American coach Eric Hechtman recently issued a staggering statement.

It’s been a while since the tennis community witnessed an American ATP player taste Grand Slam glory after the tennis veteran Andy Roddick‘s lone major triumph in 2003. While dissecting the present-day plight of his country’s men’s tennis players, Hechtman recently cited an example of Venus and Serena Williams.

Venus and Serena Williams’ former coach shed light on the American Grand Slam drought

The American WTA players, including recently crowned US Open champion Coco Gauff, have already enjoyed some Grand Slam triumphs during the modern era of tennis. Notably, in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the American tennis coach was asked what he thinks is lacking on the men’s side.

Eric Hechtman said, “That’s a crazy stat that I didn’t know. But I’d say there’s a number of things I’d say. Number one, I mean, going back to Venus and Serena, you’ve got to credit them for inspiring and motivating these girls through generations to think, hey, I can do it. And then two, as a male, I feel like on the guy side, you need some sort of camaraderie with your peers, you know, to kind of make it through.”

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The 38-year-old coach asserted that the Williams sisters, who have amassed a combined 30 singles Grand Slam titles,  have inspired the younger generation of players on the women’s tour. Hechtman added, “So every era of men’s tennis on the guy side, you know, versus the women’s side, you’ll see, you know, a group of guys come through, right?”

Hechtman went on to compare the young generation, including Frances Tiafoe, to the likes of tennis veterans Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. He said, “And then you had Sampras, Agassi, Chang. Um, I’m probably leaving some, some people off in some of these, but in today’s you got, you know, Paul, Opelka, Fritz, Mackey McDonald, Francis Tiafoe. So when you have a group that can kind of gel and move together on the guys’ side, that’s where it’s at.”

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Hechtman further asserted that young American tennis stars need to compete against each other and grow up together to reach new heights on the tour. He said, “So I think what happened really well was those guys went through juniors together and everything and developed together. I think what’s the gap that’s been is everyone on the men’s side grows up and develops and does their own thing. I’ve coached plenty of them. And the guys they need, that camaraderie to kind of compete against each other and grow up together to reach that level. I think that’s crucial.”

What do you think of the renowned tennis coach’s views on the American Grand Slam drought on the men’s tour? Let us know in the comments section.

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